Don't let the smaller town and lack of classes slow you down with training Charlie. You do not need formal classes at all or anybody else to train your dog...even if your command words and hand signals are not like everybody else's words and signals.
I trained my first dog when I was a young teen in a tiny town with no obedience classes or trainers. I first trained to various whistles, then learned that idea was a bad one when a guy walking down the road whistling a tune was suddenly controlling my Yorkie-Poo! I retrained...immediately...with a lot more careful thought !!!! lol
There are somewhat 'standardized' commands and signals, but you are not obligated to use them. Only use them if you want others to be able to control your dog. If you want sole control of your dog, choose other words and signals...or other languages.
K-9 dogs for law enforcement are trained in German, for example, which makes it more difficult for the general public to control police dogs at work. So are the handlers trained so that the words and signals become 'natural' for them. Imagine how difficult it would be for the K-9 handler if everyone walking by could control his dog: "Attack, Butch...Hold!"..."ooo, come to mummy, baby waby Butchy boy...sit pwetty sweetie...itchy sqwatchy lovey dovey, kissy kissy baby waby...ooo!!!!" lol
It all depends on what you want, but the basic principle is the same. It's the 'Helen Keller principle' basically...you do not as much "train" the dog as "define" it's actions for it while it is doing them..the dog associates what it did, and got a treat or praise for doing, with the action it performed. When you say "sit" just as the dog's booty is about to touch the ground, you are telling the dog what he is doing...in your language...then, when you praise and reward him for doing what he was going to anyway...over and over...he begins to associate the action with the words and gestures you consistently use...and begins to understand that YOU LIKE what he did. He does it again for you because he loves you...and maybe for the treat or praise..but he does it again WHEN HE WAS NOT ALREADY PLANNING TO DO IT...because he is 'trained' by that time. lol
Consistency is the key!!! All you have to do is watch the dog and tell him everything you like that he is doing
as he is doing it! lol
There is really, IMHO, no magic to it and you are under no obligaton to conform.
Tricks, to my way of thinking, are 'un-natural actions' the dog takes...catching a frisbee, scuba diving, etc. I had a dog that would not only catch a ball, would "throw it back" as well. Catching the ball was somewhat natural for a Shep/Lab...throwing the ball back was something she did 'for me'...but the benefit to her was a second opportunity to catch the ball again. I used regular English for that training, and she would do it even for 'strange' neighborhood children...which was really cool...and why I used plain English! lol Fetch is the same basic game. lol
Have fun with your Charlie! You can 'train' your darling Charlie any way you want! He is like no other...nor should you necessarily need to be!
That said, I do feel that it is important that dogs be exposed to all sorts of animals, people and situations. Only when you have learned what is required to control Charlie in a large number of circumstances can you begin to believe you have 'trained' him...otherwise, just know that he might have other ideas!!! lol
These are, of course, my own opinions based on my own experiences, and not meant to harm, offend, or contradict anyone else on YT who might have other experiences or opinions. lol
Good luck!
